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Feline-ality™ 101

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Have we gone nuts? Nope, we’re just getting super-scientific, thanks to Feline-ality, a research-based assessment of a cat’s behavior and interests that matches adopter preferences with an animal’s behavior. And the cool thing is that it works great—shelters testing the ASPCA’s Meet Your Match Program (Feline-ality is a part of Meet Your Match) found a 40- to 45-percent increase in adoptions and a 45- to 50-percent decrease in returns and euthanasia. Amazing stats!

How Does Feline-ality work?

Let’s say you are looking to find the cat of your dreams. When you go to a shelter using the Feline-ality assessment, you’ll be asked to fill out a one-page Cat Adopter Survey—19 questions about your lifestyle and how you envision your cat fitting in to this lifestyle. Sound kinda fun? It is—think magazine quiz, not college application.

Your results will tell the shelter what your “color” is green, orange or purple.

In a nutshell:

Green adopters are most successful with cats who quickly adapt to new situations.

Purple adopters are perfect for kitties who need time and encouragement to adjust to their new surroundings.

Orange adopters are a good fit with the quintessential companion kitty.

P.S. In case you haven’t figured it out yet, the kitties in the shelter know their true colors, too—so purple people meet purple felines, and then decide if they’re ready to paint the town…well, purple!

But don’t worry if you’d rather mix-and-match—adopters are not required to choose a cat with a particular feline-ality, and the assessment can prepare you for your new love’s response to her new home and help her adjust

Meet the Feline-alities

So what’s a lean green kitty machine like? Orange you curious about cats who’ve been assigned to the orange team? A cat’s feline-ality is determined by her:

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While professionals agree it is difficult to tell how a dog under the age of six months will behave with their new families, the ASPCA Meet Your Match Puppy-ality assessment strives to match puppies with adopters based on the puppy’s personality and the adopter’s lifestyle and preferences.

The Meet Your Match (MYM) Canine-ality Adoption Program strives to match adopters with the best possible dog for them. The Assessment evaluates each dog’s friendliness, playfulness, energy level, and more. Adopters take surveys, which are used to match them with adoptable dogs based on preferences.

As part of the ASPCA’s Meet Your Match program, shelters assess adoptable cats to predict how they’ll behave in a new environment. Cats are categorized as one of nine “feline-alities,” and these categories are used to place cats with the best possible adopter based on their personal preferences.

The ASPCA Meet Your Match Canine-ality Assessment places dogs in one of three color-coded categories—purple, green or orange—followed by placement in one of three Canine-ality descriptions. These codes help adopters meet the right dog for them based on their personal preferences and lifestyle.

Shelters have lovable dogs and cats of all shapes, sizes and ages. Your chances of finding a wonderful companion who matches your lifestyle and family are excellent! About 25% of shelter dogs are purebred. The rest make up the best selection...